Nutrition Favors the Anomaly. 
313 
for this the disposition of the leaves of Lysimachia i'iil- 
garis (Fig. 59). This species has opposite leaves as 
a rule, but often occurs with quaternary and ternary 
whorls. With regard to this character the species be- 
haves as a half race, in this neighborhood at any rate. 
If we examine the rhizome in the spring we find the 
vegetative buds growing vertically upwards under the 
top soil or moss and ready for sprouting. At this period 
it can easily be seen that all of the buds have their scales 
Fig. 58. Scheme to illustrate the relation 
between external conditions and anom- 
aly. Shifting of the apex of the curve. 
A, the effect of high nutrition; B, the 
effect of unfavorable conditions. The 
(a) and (b) curves illustrate the dis- 
position of the leaves of the stems of 
Lysimachia vulgaris', a, after high, b, 
after low nutrition. (See the figures on 
page 314.) 
'1 
ft 
L 
v' 4 /\ 
Y) 
B 
Fig. 59. Lysimachia vulga- 
ris. Rhizome buds which 
would develop into stems. 
A, thick, with quaternary 
bud ; B, thin, with ternary 
whorls in the interior of 
the bud. The visible 
scales show a decussate 
arrangement in both 
cases. (For diagram see 
Fig. 57-) 
in a decussate arrangement at the lower end (Fig. 59), 
but within the bud the disposition of the leaves is different. 
In this region the structure is that which will be mani- 
fested by the growing stem in the summer. 
The thickness of the future stem is correlated with 
that of the upright subterranean shoot, and on it depends 
the disposition of the leaves. The weakest shoots have 
the leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the stronger ones 
in trimerous and the strongest of all in tetramerous 
